Papaya Berry Boat
Papaya boats with plain Greek yogurt and berries make for a delicious, healthy, and fun treat. The protein in the Greek yogurt helps to balance blood sugar with higher tropical fruits like papaya. Fiber, phytonutrients, and antioxidants make this dish a good choice for kids or adults of all ages.
Mango Sorbet
Craving a frozen treat on a warm day, I created my new favorite summertime dessert - Mango Sorbet! This delicious sweet treat is smooth, creamy, and satisfying. It contains no added sweeteners, so it’s a healthy dessert option.
Strawberry Apricot Tarte (GF)
Are you looking for an easy and healthy sweet treat? You can throw this strawberry and apricot tarte together in no time. Modified from one of my favorite cookbooks, French Provincial Cuisine by Christian Delu (1981), this quick, easy, and light tarte will satisfy your craving for sweet summer fruit.
Spicy Basil and Bean Dip
Here’s a delicious white bean hummus with a spicy kick! Increase garlic, basil, and cilantro for more spice, or decrease these ingredients for less “bite.”
Pumpkin Spice Muffins (GF)
Pumpkin spice muffins are gluten and fat free with delicious festive flavor. These muffins make for a satisfying snack or after-meal treat.
Turkey and Wild Rice Soup
This soothing soup can be made with turkey or chicken, or beans for a vegetarian dish. I typically use the carcass of the poultry to make a broth overnight before starting the soup, but not during this busy time. Short-cuts such as using store-bought broth and pre-cut vegetables in a “mirepoix” mix are encouraged to save time and your sanity.
Slow Cooker Chicken
This is probably the easiest main course you’ll ever make. Slow cooker chicken is fantastic for busy schedules and leftovers.
Fruit Kvass
Kvass is traditionally a fermented drink made with beets. This refreshing drink is made from fruit and started with kombucha rather than whey. Please note that fermented drinks may contain a negligible amount of residual alcohol that occurs naturally during fermentation. Generally, the longer the drink is fermented, the greater the alcohol content.
Easy Kombucha
Here’s my favorite, simplified (really!) recipe for homemade kombucha. Start with a small batch, 1 quart, and increase over time. You can make kombucha as tart or as sweet as you like. The longer the drink ferments, the more probiotics and negligible alcohol are created. Pictured here: A berry kombucha with strained berry puree added after the first ferment.
Fermented Cucumbers
This recipe creates fermented cucumbers, which offers more gut beneficial properties than pickles.
Easy Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut is a probiotic-rich food that’s made from cabbage. This recipe is so easy that you’ll wonder why you haven’t been making this all along.
Cultured Cashew Yogurt
Cultured cashew yogurt is a probiotic-rich food that’s made from cashew nuts.
Cultured Coconut Yogurt
Cultured coconut yogurt is a probiotic-rich food that’s made from coconut milk.
Steel Cut Oats
Steel cut oats are filling and a good source of fiber. Here are two ways to prepare this delicious food, either for breakfast or any time of the day.
Vegetarian Crustless Quiche
This quiche is so easy and gluten-free. You can add whatever ingredients you like or have on hand. You can decrease eggs and add a milk, which is typical of a traditional quiche recipe. However, this recipe is all eggs with no milk of any kind.
Zen Smoothie
Get ready for energized calm! This veggie-loaded smoothie can be customized according to your available ingredients and preferences. Add more berries to achieve a rosier color. Aim for less than 50% fruit content to achieve better sugar handling and increased satiety.
Berry Crumble Pie
Here is my easy gluten-free, low-sugar berry crumble pie. In this simplified version, I use a frozen gluten-free pie crust and frozen berries. If you have more time, you can incorporate a homemade crust using gluten-free or nut-based flour. Fresh berries are a welcome substitution when available.
Oatmeal Banana Cookies
This delicious oatmeal cookie contains less sugar than your typical treat because it’s mostly sweetened with banana.